Air extractor and sealing device



Dec; 9, 1958 G. A. MOORE 2,863,267

AIR EXTRACTOR AND SEALING DEVICE Filed Aug. 14. 1956 a vacuum PuMP INVENTOR.

United States Patent Office PatentedDec. 9,

AIR EXTRACTORAND SEALING DEVICE George Arlington Moore, New York, N. Y.

Application August 14, 1956, Serial No. 604,005

14 Claims. (CI. 53-22) This invention relates to a new and novel apparatus device arranged for extracting air from commodity packed containers and hermetically seals them, and more particularly to novel means and method for sealing the above air evacuated container while it is conjunctively engaged and vacuum sealed temporarily to wall portions of the air extractor unit part of the apparatus, the enclosure walls of the container during the stage of extracting air from the interior thereof being subjected to the co-acting effects of a differential pressure that seals the conjunctively fitted relationship of the container mouth with wall portions of the above air extracting unit until other marginally opposed wall portions of the mouth of the container is hermetically sealed by other actuated parts of the apparatus device. the mouth of the above containersbeing initiated in their fabrication to be structurally arranged in a novel manner that will form the above conjunctively fitted relationship of the container with the apparatus device for the intended purpose.

Well known conventional apparatus employed by packers for air evacuating product filled containers operates on the principle of an apparatus embodied vacuum chamber in which mechanically actuated sealing tools are arranged to function within its sealed interior. The container to be air evacuated and sealed is placed and secured within the open chamber, the air-evacuating chamber then being closed and sealed from the atmosphere. The air within the chamber is then exhausted to form a vacuum therein in order to evacuate at the same time the air content from the container. When the air' depressioninside and outside of the enclosure walls of the container is equalized, the container is then sealed while positioned within the .sealed vacuum chamber. After the container sealing operation is efiected, the interior space of the vacuum chamber is restored with air to be at atmospheric pressure in order to break the atmospheric seal thereof and open the chamber to effect a release of the sealed container. In my co-pending U. S. application entitled,

Air Extractor Device Serial No. 600,550 filed July 27, 1956, there is disclosed therein novel means and method for air evacuating a continuous moving line of commodity packed containers that constitutes an improvemnt on the above conventional form of apparatus by eliminating the use of the above rather complicated vacuum chamber and its interior mechanism. The method disclosure also includes a novel arrangement of apparatus means for sealing each container of a series of the continuously moving commodity packed containers as they are removed from their respective slider conjunctive relationship with the air extracting device.

The present invention contemplates. a modifiedarr.

rangement of apparatus with which to air evacuate com: modity packed containers which may be. individually fed to register in stationary relationship witha structurally modified air extractor unit part of the above apparatus, and one of the prime objects herein is to embody the above unit part in a manner that will co-ordinate in relation- Marginally opposed wall portions constituting.

ship with container sealing means provided in the apparatus so that the registered commodity packed container fed to the apparatus may be air evacuated and hermetically sealed prior to its release from the novel means provided for its temporarily sealed conjunctive relationship with the air extracting unit part of the above apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide in an apparatus device of the above type, a novel arrangement of air suction openings that are embodied in the air extracting unit part thereof that will function in combination effect that vacuum seals the mouth of the commodity filled container while extracting the air content thereof augmented by the effects upon the exterior of wall .por-

tions thereof by the amount pressure of the atmosphere exdesired from horizontal to vertical with. respect to the position of the container to be air evacuated and hermetically sealed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in the above apparatus device, heat sealing means that may be actuated to compress and heat marginal neck portions of the air evacuated container made of heat scalable material and thereby effect a seal thereof in seam forming relationship while being still engaged in conjunctively vacuum sealed relationship with the air evacuating means provided in the apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel arrangement for valvular control of the air extracting unit.

part of the above apparatus device for dual purpose whereby the commodity filled container may be first air evacua-ted and then be charged with an injection of inert gas to replace the air extracted from the container and effecting a hermetic seal of the gassed container, the air evacuation and gassing process taking place while the exterior of enclosure walls of the container is subjected to atmospheric pressure.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved apparatus device for air evacuating and sealing commodity packed containers in such simple manner that the cost of the above device is noteworthy for its economy and efiiciency of operation as compared with other known forms of conventional apparatus.

Other objects and novel features of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompeanying drawings, Whrein a typical schematic embodiment of the invention is illustrated. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are more or less schematic for purposes of illustration only, and are not to be taken as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views;

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of the apparatus shown in side elevation with certain parts thereof broken away and showing the apparatus device adjusted to an inclined position aligned with a container about to be registered with the air extractor unit of the apparatus and the container sealing irons thereof being shown in open position;

Fig. 2 is another similar schematic view of the apparatus device adjusted in horizontal position and showing the container conjunctively engaged with the air extractor unit of the apparatus and the sealing irons being shown in closed position upon the neck formed marginal wall portions of the container;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing detail parts in 3 side elevation of the frame work that provides in general a support for the actuating parts of the device;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the air extracting unit of the apparatus shown in conjunctive relationship with marginal Wall portions of the container mouth and showing fragmentary Wall portions of both elements broken away;

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the view shown in Fig. 4 and includes a view partly in cross section of valvular control means connected with the air extractor unit of the apparatus for dual purpose thereof, and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the air extractor unit in vertical cross section taken along line 66 in Fig. 4 and showing its conjunctive engagement with the mouth of a fragmentary body portion of a commodity packed container with portions of its walls shown in vertical cross section and further showing fragmentary portions of the heat sealing irons in cross section that are closed inwardly upon the neck margins formed in the engaging container with the apparatus device.

The present invention is particularly directed to apparatus means for air evacuating a commodity filled container provided with a pro-arranged flexible mouth portion thereof made adaptable to fit conjunctively with wall portions of the air extracting unit that is arranged to co-ordinate with the container sealing parts of ther apparatus, the container being temporarily sealed in stationary relationship with the air extracting unit by the co-acting effects of the vacuum that extracts air from the container, and then effecting a permanent closure seal of the air evacuated container by the actuated sealing parts of the apparatus prior to its mouth portion release from the air extracting unit of the apparatus device.

To this end, heat scalable pouch or bag type flexible containers are first modified in a minor degree of their fabrication to provide the open mouth thereof with means to fit in vacuum sealed relationship upon particularly arranged wall portions provided for the air extracting unit part of the apparatus device for the specific purpose of removing the air content from the interior of the registered commodity packed container. The above modification consists of providing the above containers With a pair of opposed marginal wall portions having open opposite ends and adjacent the longitudinal top edges thereof that defines the open mouth of the container, whereby these wall portions are made adaptable to be flared outwardly of each other in elongated V-shaped formation to fit conjunctively with particular wall portions of the unit. Transparent plastic envelopes, gusset pleated bags or bag liners formed of suitable material in conventional cartons may be arranged in a similar manner to fit conjunctively with the air extractor unit of the apparatus device of the present invention. Overwrapped types of packaged articles of merchandise can be arranged to provide the above flared margins that will engage with the above unit for purpose of being air evacuated if desired.

Referring more particularly to Fig. l, the present invention is illustrated therein as including an air extracting unit device 4 that is secured in stationary position in the apparatus and the air suction mouth provided for the unit being centrally positioned to align centrally with the commodity packed container (a). The flared mouth of the container is shown in central position prior to being registered upon the mouth of the air extracting unit 4 in conjunctively fitted relationship. The unit is basically mounted flatly horizontal in the apparatus centrally between two opposed normally open heat sealing irons that may be structurally formed with rocker arm extensions 5 that pivot upon upper and lower parallel fulcrum shafts 6 and these shafts being secured in parallel relationship by a pair of supporting hubs provided in a pair of spaced spider hub frames 7 that are supported adjustable on a main horizontal shaft 8 that is heating the irons.

parallel with shafts 6 and being supported and clamped in a hub of trunnion-like arms 9 extended from a frame (not shown) that will constitute the main structural support 'of the apparatus device in general. The heat sealing bar portions 5(a) of arm portions 5 thereof are equipped with heating means such as an electrical heating element or cal rod 10 that is embodied in each bar portion adjacent the nip surface 11 thereof. The wire terminals of the elements 10 may be connected with a current circuit that may be passe-d through a thermostat temperature control unit for the sealing irons and the wiring be arranged in any suitable manner desired for The sealing irons are arranged to be actuated by the movement of their respective arm portions 12 having connection with an end of each of two intermediately connected toggle links 13 by pivot pins 14. The toggle links are actuated by an arm portion of a lever rocker arm 15 that is mounted to rock upon a shaft 16 secured in a hub provided in one of the spider frames 7. The intermediate pin connection 14 of the toggle links 13 is conjunctive with the short arm por-' tion of the rocker lever 15 and the lever is actuated by a linked fork having a pin 17 connecting it with the long arm end thereof, the fork is fixed with a threaded rod 16 that may be extended to form connections with a suitably arranged foot pedal lever or to a pneumatic air cylinder that may be actuated to pull the rod 16 in downward direction for the purpose of actuating, the pair of sealing irons to function for sealing the container as illustrated in Fig. 2. The nip surface 11 of the bar portion 5a of the sealing irons may be covered with any suitable material desired such as Teflon to prevent fouling of these surfaces upon contact with marginal wall portions of the container during the heat exchange.

Two spider hub frames 7 are arranged to oppose each other mounted upon the main shaft 8 and the inner face of each coincident hub of the frame arms 9 providing means to space the relationship of the spider frames as desired between these hub faces. A side elevation of the above relationship is illustrated in Fig. 3. The hub of one arm 9 of the frame is provided with an open slot 18 that is cut through a transverse boss portion of the hub that provides support for a clamping screw that will secure the shaft 8 in any particular rotated fixed position that may be desired for the apparatus device to operate upon the commodity packed containers that can range in any position from the horizontal operation shown in Fig. 2 to a vertical position. The spider hub frames 7 are keyed or otherwise secured to the main shaft 8 such as keys 19 shown in Fig. 3 whereby the frames 7 can be rotated to the particular angle desired for changing the position of the actuating parts of the apparatus without deviation of the relationship thereof as initially assembled. An example of this facility provided for the apparatus is illustrated in Fig. 1 showing an adjusted position thereof that is thirty degrees downwardly of the horizontal position illustrated in Fig. 2. When packing the containers with solid products or articles that are non-fluid, they may be fed for placement in the apparatus flatly horizontal, whereas, when packed with viscous or semi-liquid products it is necessary to feed them into the apparatus in the position illustrated in Fig. l or nearer to a vertical position as may be desired.

The air extracting unit 4 of the apparatus device is secured therein in fixed position upon a flat surface projection 20 provided in the spider frames 7 and substantially central between the pair of arms 5 of the sealing irons. The commodity packed container (a) to be fed into the apparatus is placed for registering support upon a flat plate 21 having adjustable threaded studs 22 that are supported in a fixed arm 23 having a hub portion fixed upon the shaft 6 of the apparatus that provides support for the lower rocker arm 5 of the pair of heat 'sealing irons. The .studs 22provide means to adjust the plate 21 up or down .to suit .the thickness of any Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5 it will beobserved.

the novel mannerthat is employed for the commodity packed container to be conjunctively registered in stationary position temporarily with the air extractor unit 4. While the structure of this unit may be constructed in various forms, the structure illustrated herein provides for a simple and economically made form comprised of two flatly assembled plates 25 and 26 made of suitable rigid non-corrosive material. Each of the above plates are provided with a recessed cavity portion having three border defining Walls and a portion of the flat bottom wall thereof adjacent the longitudinal end of the cavity being tapered to slope toward the face thereofso that this sloping wall surface portion of each plate will converge toward each other to form a relatively narrow open slot 28 through a portion of the longitudinal bottom end 29 of the assembled plates with cavities opposed thereby forming a chamber space 27 within the interior of the air extractor unit.4. The meeting. faces of the cavities may be tightly secured together by suitable means such as a series of removable screws 30 as shown in Fig. 4. The particular plate 26 of the assembly is projected outwardly of the longitudinal side edge 31 of the associated plate 25. Holes 32 are provided in the projected portion for screws with which to secure the unit 4 upon the surface portion 20 provided in the spider hub frame 7 as. illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2." The exterior surfaces of the unit 4 that are coincident With the tapered inner surfaces thereof are bevelled to provide V-shaped wall surface portions 33 that converge to form a substantially blunt longitudinal bottom edge 2? to the air extractor unit and a longitudinal central portion of the bottom edge being open by the month end of the chamber space 27 above described. An open port 34 is provided for an outlet from the chamber space and having suitable means to be connected with an air exhaust conduit that may be directed in any suitable manner to connect with a vacuum pump. (not shown) to provide means with which to establish a vacuum for air suction function of the unit 4 in the apparatus. The V-shaped wall surfaces 33 of the unit are provided with a series of opposed air suction passages 35 spaced longitudinally and inwardly from the bottom blunt edge 29 that is provided with the elongatedair suction slot 28. The opposite ends thereof are defined by two opposed sides 36 of the chamber space 27 of the unit. These opposite ends of the air suction slot 28 are to be arranged so that opposite side ends of the mouth of the engaging containers with the unit will be always spaced outwardly beyond the ends of the above slot. Each of the outermost air suction passages 35 are arranged to extend outwardly beyond the defining ends 36 but terminated. inwardly of the opposite side ends of the engaging container as illustrated in Fig. 4. The air suction passages provided in the unit 4 may be initially established in width of space that may vary from one thirty second inch and the space be increased if necessary for air evacuating containers of larger than nominal size or to increase the rapidity of handling the containers in and out of the apparatus.

The marginally opposed V-shaped lips (b) as modified at the mouth of the container (a) are adapted to fit temporaril in conjunctively sealed relationship with the wall surfaces 33 of the air extractor unit in the manner illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. The marginal lips (b) of the container cover and close the air suction passages 35' and the top ends (c) of the side seams thereof forms a bottom for a pair, of V-shaped crotehes 38 that are tightly abutted against coincident surface portions of the. substantially blunt bottom edge 29 of the unit 4 whereby. the interior of the commodity packed container (a) is temporarily sealed .to the unit by vacuum effected by the air suction passages 28 and 35 being closed by the enclosure walls of the engaged container. is augmented by the co-acting effects of atmospheric pressure exerted upon the exterior of the enclosure walls.

Other types of flexible containers such as the bag 'part of conventional bag in' carton'type container may be modified in a similar manner to make the. bag adaptable 1 for being conjunctivelyfitted with the air extractor unit: 4 insthe .apparatus. The modification may consist of: slitting a short central line cutinwardly of the end edge of each wall of two opposed side walls of the bag so that upon folding a closure thereof the slit lines in the marginal portions of the closure mouth are provided with open opposite ends and. may be flared outwardly for: fitting engagement with the .unit 4 in a similar manner as illustrated in Fig. 5.

Referring again to Figs. .1 and 2, the commodity filled container (a) is placed flatly upon the flat plate 21 of the apparatusto be suitably moved .into fitting relationship whereby the mouth of the container engages over the mouth of the air extractor unit 4 in the manner illus-. trated in Fig. 2. The outlet port 34 of the unit is.

flexibly connected with the tubular airexhaust conduit through the unit 4 may be constant and the container (a) that is registered with the unit closes the air suction. passages thereby sealing the interior of the container by i the increasing vacuum in the unit while extracting the air content from the container.

the interior surfaces of the enclosure walls thereof pulls the container tightly to the coincident Wall portions of the air extracting unit by the co-acting effects of atmospheric pressure being exerted upon the exterior surfaces of theseenclosure walls. When the air is substantially exhausted from the container through the air-suction slot 2%, the pressure of the atmosphere presses inwardly to form a substantially closed marginally opposed neck portion shaped in the air evacuated container directly under the longitudinal blunt bottom edge 29 of the air extracting unit. Immediately following the air evacuation of the container the heat sealing irons 5 are then actuated by means hereinbefore described that pulls the.

rod 16 downwardly to rock the arm 15 on its pivot shaft 116. This movement acuates the pair of toggle links 13 to expand and push the arm portions 12 of the sealing irons outwardly in opposite directions thereby bringing the nip surfaces 11 of the sealing iron bars 5a inwardlyv toward each other in positive contact upon surfaces of the neck portion of the air evacuated container. The heat and pressure imposed by the irons effecting a positive sealed margin in seam forming relationship longitudinally across the container while the lips (b) thereof are still conjunctively engaged with the air extracting unit 4 of the apparatus in the manner illustrated in Figs.

-2 and 6. The longitudinal seam thus formed in the marginal neck portion 41 (Fig. 6) crosses coincident The above seal The effects of the. vacuum exposed by the elongated airsuction slot 28 to suitable to engage conjunctively with the air extracting unit of the apparatus for air evacuating and sealing purpose. The simplicity of the basic principle of the invention is such that it may be applied for embodiment into various other types of conventional machines that are used by packers'for the filling and closing of conventional types of flexible containers. In this respect, the modified commodity packed containers may be supported and conveyed in series by mechanically indexed feeding apparatus that can be easily arranged in a suitable manner to register the container in conjunctive relation with the airextracting unit installed in the particular machine and in cycle timing to be air evacuated and hermetically sealed automatically in similar manner as hereinbefore described.

The air extractor unit 4 of the apparatus of the invention is contemplated to be used in a manner to serve a dual purpose for air evacuating containers and then replace the air extracted from the container with an inert gas. To this end, containers that are packed with certain kinds of meat items or other special commodities that will keep better in an atmosphere of inert gas such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide may be processed in such manner by the apparatus device. There is shown in Fig. 5, a special tubular conduit 42 connected with the unit 4 and leading to a connection with a source of vacuum. The conduit is provided with an embodied valve 43 and another by-pass valve 44 that is located above the valve 43 and being embodied in a by-pass conduit that connects the conduit 42 with a source of inert gas. The valve 43 is normally open for the air from the unit engaged container to be exhausted through the conduit ultimately to the atmosphere. After the engaged container is substantially evacuated of air, the valve 43 is then closed and the by-pass valve 44 opened for a short duration to charge the interior of the air evacuated container through the unit 4 with a required amount of inert gas and restore the interior thereof to the equivalent of atmospheric pressure. The valve 44 is then closed in time to be coincident with the actuating of the sealing irons 5 to seal the neck margins 41 of the gassed container in seam forming relationship. The valves 43 and 44 may be actuated if desired by an electronic timing device that will economically control the precise amount of each injection charge of inert gas into each air evacuated container. To further reduce the amount of expended gas for each unit injection thereof, a mechanical clamp may be embodied in the apparatus device to be actuated prior to the opening of the gas inlet valve 44 for an injection of gas, whereby the marginal lips (b) of the engaged container may be mechanically clamped momentarily to maintain a tight closure engagement with the unit 4 as illustrated by dot and dash lines 45 shown in Fig. 6. In this manner, the pressure of the gas injection into the container can not disengage the mouth thereof from the mouth of the unit 4 until the seal of the container is effected by actuating the sealing irons 5 immediately following the injection of gas. A pressure reducing valve in the outlet of the storage tank source of inert gas may be regulated so that the pressure of the gas injection into each container is economically measured to avoid waste of gas that would otherwise be expended to the atmosphere. Hence, the relatively small amount of displacement air evacuated from the container by the function of the unit 4, is replaced with inert gas that is injected through the unit into the container in a manner that provides economy in use of inert gas. Therefore, each injection of gas is considerably less than the gas that must be expended to charge containers handled for this purpose by the conventional apparatus hereinbefore described that is equipped with a vacuum chamber in which the container is air evacuated, and then the interior space of the container including the relatively larger space of the chamber is charged collectively with the inert gas 8 resulting in an expended waste of the amount required to fill the vacuum chamber space.

Theair extractor unit 4 of the apparatus device of the invention may be provided with an elongated length for the V-shaped wall portions 33 that will be suitable to engage with a range of different size containers whereby the larger size of containers to be air evacuated will establish the particular length desired for the unit yet suitable to engage with smaller size containers. In such case, the length of the air suction slot 28 is established to suit the coincident length of open mouth of the smallest size of container in the relationship hereinbefore described.

The air suction slots 35 may be altered in the form of a series of holes to communicate with the chamber space of the unit. The holes of the series that extend longitudinally outward of the ends of the bottom air suction slot 28 may be threaded for plugging purpose and these holes be suitably arranged to communicate with the chamber of the unit by longitudinal grooves that can be provided in the meeting faces of the assembled plates 25 and 26 and aligned transversely of these particular air suction holes in the air extractor unit. These particular air suction holes of the series that are not closed by the particular container to be air evacuated, may be closed by the above mentioned threaded plugs.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus device for air evacuating and sealing commodity packed containers that are provided with flexible marginal wall portions defining the open mouth thereof made adaptable to fit conjunctively in sealed relationship upon particular wall portions of an air extractor body unit provided in the apparatus comprising support means being provided for a main shaft of the apparatus that supports a frame provided with multiple shaft supporting hubs, a pair of opposing hubs of said frame providing means of support for two shafts arranged in parallel and each shaft supporting a rocker arm that defines a pair of heat sealing irons having heating means embodied in the sealing bar portion of each iron, an air extractor body unit being provided in said apparatus and fixed in a position that is substantially central betwen said pair of sealing irons and having connections with actuating means, the heated bar portion of each iron being arranged to close inwardly toward each other and meet together on the center line that passes transversely through the center of said main shaft and extending through the center of said air extractor body transverse of the longitudinal end thereof that defines the air suction mouth of said body and further defines the bottom longitudinal blunt corner edge of V-shaped wall surface portions provided on two opposing walls of the air extractor body, said edge having an elongated air suction slot through a portion thereof channeled from a chamber space provided in the interior of said body that is connected with conduit means for vacuum, said V-shaped surfaces being provided with air suction passages arranged for vacuum sealing the mouth of an engaging commodity packed container over said mouth of the air extractor body unit, said seal being effected while the air content of the container is substantially exhausted through said air suction slot in the longitudinal corner edge of V-shaped wall surfaces enclosed by the container, said sealing irons being actuated and effecting a permanent seal of the container in seam forming relationship in close proximity outwardly of said longitudinal mouth of the air extractor body unit and said seam being formed while the air evacuated container is vacuum sealed conjunctively therewith.

2. A device for extracting air from a commodity filled container that is provided with longitudinal V-shaped marginal lips adapted to fit conjunctively with said device comprising a rigid body having a pair of opposing side walls with a longitudinal transverse blunt edge formed of an inwardly sloped adjacent portion of each side wall,

a cavity space being provided within the enclosure walls of said device, two surface sides opposed of said cavity 9 each having a portio-nthereof sloped inwardly to said longitudinal bluntedge e to define an elongated narrow slot portion that provides an op :ningthrough the blunt edge and each opposite endof :saidopeningbeing spaced inwardly of each opposite endofsaid blunt edge, multiple slots being provided transversely through each of saidtinwardly sloped side wall portions of the device and spaced inwardly from saidbluntedge, aportionof eachslot that isadjacent' each terminalend of said elongated slot being extended longitudinallyoutward thereof, said cavity being provided withan open portfor connections With a source of'vacuurn whereby said elongated and multiple slots constitute air suction ports that co-act together to cifect atemporary sealed conjunctive relationship of the engaging container with said-device while,

extratcing air from said-container, said device being also provided with sealing means to form a permanent marginal seam across the closed mouth of theair evacuated container adjacent said =blunt;edge-and while-said V-shaped marginal lips of the-closed and evacuated container remains-sealed uponthe-device as originally registered therewith.

3. An-air extractor device in'apparatus adapted to be engaged conjunctively' with mouth wall portions of a commoditypacked flexible container for purpose of being air evacuated and hermetically sealed, said device comprising a rectangular shaped body of rigid material having an interior chamber space formed with a progressively.

narrowed space portion thereof terminated through a portion of 'thelongitudinal bottom edge of v shaped wall;

surface portions provided for said body, said chamber space having an open port-outlet adapted to connect with a-suitable tubular conduitthat provides air exhaust means forthe function ofthe air-extractor device, said 'V-shaped walls of-the body beingprovided with a series of longitudinally-spaced air suction-openings through each wall portion andthe alignmentof said openings being spaced upwardly from the longitudinal bottom corner edge of the V-shaped walls-and through a portion of whichbottom,

corner edge-said narrowed space portion of the chamber terminates to-provide an-elongatedair suction slotcon-L stituting-the n1outh-of *the air extractor device, the op: posite end extremities of said series of air suction openings beingspa'ced outwardly of the terminal ends of said elongated air suction slot whereby said series ofopposed f air suctionopenings provide means to vacuum seal said mouth wall portions of the commodity packed container when being engaged conjunctivelyover the mouth portion of the airextractor-deviceandthe air suction through said elongated slot providing means that extracts air from the interior of the engaging container, a pair of heat sealing irons being provided in said apparatus arranged with,

means to be mechanically actuated and effect a permanent seal longitudinally across marginally opposed surface portions of the air evacuated container inclose proximity to said vacuum sealed marginallyopposedsurface portions of the mouth thereof.

4. An apparatus device for air evacuating and sealing ticular wall portions of an air extractor body unit of said apparatus, which comprises support means provided for a main shaft that provides support for a frame having multiple shaft supporting hubs, the latter frame providing, support means for a pair of heat sealing irons having heating means and rocker arms that pivot upon shafts arranged in parallel through hub portions provided by said latter frames, an air extracting body unit being provided in said apparatus in fixed position substantially central between said pair of heat sealing irons having actuating means for the heated bars of said irons to close inwardly together and meet on a center line that passes transversely through thecenter of said main shaft and through the center of the mouth end of the air extractor unit that is positioned parallel with said bars, said mouth, end defining the bottom edge of v shaped wall surface portions of thebody. unit and said bottom edge being blunt and having an elongated narrow air suction slot through a portion thereof and from an air suction chamber space that is provided in .said unit connected with tubular means directed to connect with, a vacuum pump, the opposite sides of said V-shaped wall portions being provided .with air suction passages from said-chamber space and 'exa tended longitudinally beyondthe defining opposite ends, of said elongated air suction slot provided through ap ortion of the blunt corner edgeof the V-shapcd wall SUI: faces, said apparatus having means for placement support of a commodity filledcontainer and the open mouth thereof beingregistered in surface to surface vacuum sealed relationship upon the V-shaped'wall portions effected by said airsuction means whereby. said elongated air suction slot of the air extractor unit is, exposedto, the interior ofthe,regis,tered container providing; means that exhausts the air content thereof, said; pair of, heat sealing items being actuated to effect a seal in seam forming relationship,longitudinally across a closed neck marginaljportion of the air evacuated container walls initially effected bythe pressure of atmosphere and said" neckiseam being formed in close proximity to, the inner disposed'longitudinal corner edge of the air extractor unit'prior .to the. removal of said container from the. apparatus.

5.-An apparatus device as set forth in claim 4 wherein said supported spider hub frames of the apparatus providing means to pivot-on its supporting shaft and swing said* air extractor unit and heat sealing irons in'their respective assembly relationship to a ,fixed operating position, that can range from a horizontalgto vertical plane with respect to the placementalignment of said'commodity'packedi container fed to, the apparatus ,to be air evacuated'and heat sealed.

6; An apparatusdevicearranged-to air evacuate commodity packed containersandto replace the extractedair from ,the container withinert gas, the mouth of the container being provided with longitudinal marginally opposed wallportions havingopen opposite ends adapted to'fit conjunctively in'sealedrelationship witlrwall portions 0f th6 device, the body of said device being" supported in apparatus and 'being defined. as having twoopposed flat walls of rigid material shaped rectangular in cross section and a portion of each wall being recessed to form face opposed cavities defining a chamber space within the interior of the body, two inner opposite side. surfaces of the chamber being sloped inwardly and out: wardly toward each other to the longitudinal bottom edge of the body and terminating at the edgeiof define a relatively narrow, elongated air suction slot through a spaced portion of said bottom edge constituting the mouth of the device, two outer opposite side surfacesof said chamber sloped wall surfaces being sloped in: wardly and outwardly toward each other and being converged to define two parallel longitudinal corner edges of said-elongated air suctionslot, said sloped wall portions being provided with a series of relatively small air suction passages through both sides thereof spaced inwardly in relation to said longitudinal corner edges and spaced transversely to extend beyond terminal ends of said elongated-slot, but inwardly of the defining opposite side ends of the engagingcontaincr to be air evacuated, said chamber space of "the device being provided with an open port connected with a main tubular conduit that leads to a vacuum pump intended for the apparatus, said conduit having an embodied normally open valve to provide means for closing the conduit and anotherby-pass valve normally closed being embodied in an offset portion of another conduit connected with the main conduit between said first mentioned valve and the port of said chamber, said by-passt conduit being connected with a source of pressure regulated inert gas,

11 7 the mouth of said commodity packed container being registered over the mouth of the device whereby said small air suction passages are closed by said longitudinal marginally opposed wall portions of the container including the enclosure of said elongated air suction slot whereby, the vacuum established in the chamber space of the device co-acts to seal said container conjunctively with the device while extracting air from the container, said first mentioned valve being closed and the by-pass valve being opened and then closed for a substantially instant pressure injection of said inert gas into the air evacuated container through said elongated air suction slot of the device, said apparatus being provided with means to seal the gassed container in seam forming relationship adjacent the mouth of said device.

7. An apparatus device as set forth in claim 6 wherein said longitudinal marginally opposed wall portions of the conjunctively sealed engaging container with the device being augmented to maintain said sealing relationship by marginal clamping means provided in the apparatus to keep said wall portions of the container upon corresponding wall surfaces of said device during the substantially instant pressure injection of said inert gas charged into the air evacuated container.

8. An air extracting device in apparatus arranged for air evacuating product filled containers and the container being heat scalable and initially provided with an arrangement at the mouth thereof to fit conjunctively in temporary vacuum sealed relationship to wall surface portions of said device and said container being permanently sealed by actuating means provided in said apparatus, said device comprising a substantially rectangular shaped elongated body formed of non-corrosive rigid material, said body having a chamber space in its interior emerging outwardly to define an air suction slot through the longitudinal bottom side of the device constituting the mouth thereof, the opposite sides adjacent said mouth being formed V-shape and the bottom of the V defining the longitudinal elongated bottom corner edge of said bottom side of the device, said V-shape sides being provided with longitudinally spaced air suction holes channeled from said chamber space and the holes being substantially aligned inwardly transverse of said bottom edge of the device, said chamber space having an open port enclosed by connection with a flexible tubular conduit leading to the intended vacuum pump for the apparatus, said air suction means provided in the device being arranged to be within the surface area of enclosure walls of the engaging product filled container and the air suction eflects of the device thereby coacting to seal the mouth thereof conjunctively with said V-shape wall surfaces of the device while extracting air from the interior of said container, a pair of opposed sealing irons having heating and actuating means being actuated to close inwardly upon longitudinal marginally opposed portions of the enclosure walls of the air evacuated container and thereby effecting a permanent seal thereof in seam forming relationship in close proximity to said mouth of the air extracting device.

9. In apparatus, a device for extracting air from the interior of heat sealable flexible containers, said containers being provided with marginally opposed wall portions defining marginal flaring lips having open opposite ends at the mouth thereof, said device having a longitudinal V-shape wall portion provided with air suction passages through each side of said V-shape wall portion and transversely through a longitudinal part of the apex end thereof, said passages being connected with a source of vacuum and when engaging a container with said device, the flaring lips at said mouth thereof close over said first mentioned air suction passages thereby sealing said mouth from the atmosphere while the air suction passage transversely disposed is exposed to the interior of the container whereby the effects of the air suction evacuates the interior of the container after which, the mouth thereof is heat sealed adjacent said apex end of the device and;

while completely engaged thereupon, as originally registered, the heat-seal seam being effected by the closing of-a pair of apparatus actuating heat-sealing irons ex- A tending longitudinally and substantially parallel in spaced relation to said apex end of the air evacuating device.

10. In apparatus, a device as set forth in claim 9 wherein said device is provided with a cavity communicating with said air suction passages and source of vacuum, and valve control means being provided for causing said cavity to be alternately connected with a source of inert gas so that the evacuated air may be replaced with inert gas just prior to the heat sealing of the container, said inert gas being instant injected into the container while the mouth thereof is sealed off from the atmosphere, and the sealed relationship of the con tainer upon the air evacuating device being broken simultaneously by said gas injection and instant actuated heat-sealing irons, whereby only the amount of inert gas injected necessary to fill the container body is controlled by the simultaneous actuating of said valve control means and heat-sealing irons.

11. A device for extracting air from commodity packed containers comprising an air evacuating body member adapted for connection with a source of vacuum and being provided with a V-shaped elongated section thereof, its longitudinal outer edge blunt and provided with a narrow air suction slot passing through the center of said V-shape section and the slot having opposite ends terminating inwardly and in spaced relation to the outer opposite ends of the V-shaped wall portion of said body member, other air suction openings being provided transversely through the opposite sides of said V-shape section and spaced inwardly of its blunt edge, the container to be air evacuated being adapted to have an open mouth with marginally opposed trough-like lips open at opposite ends and thereby made adaptable to fit over said V-shape section of the air evacuating body member, whereby upon the registry of said lips of the container they may be drawn inwardly upon the V-shape wall section by the air suction effects through said other openings thereby temporarily sealing the open mouth of the container upon the exterior surface sides of said section in order for the air suction through said slot in the blunt edge thereof may extract air from the interior of the engaging container, said device being provided with sealing means adapted to form a longitudinal seam across the mouth of the air evacuated container adjacent said blunt edge and while said lips remain sealed upon said exterior surfaces of the sectional part of the air evacuating member and in stationary registry until said seam is effected.

12. A device for extracting air from product filled containers, the container characetrized as having marginal lips with open ends and extending longitudinally across the open mouth thereof, the device comprising an air extractor rigid body member mounted substantially central between a pair of actuating open and closing heatsealing irons, the bit opposed faces of the irons when closed together clearing the longitudinal end edge of said body member, said end edge being blunt through which an elongated open slot portion communicates with a source of vacuum, the longitudinal opposed side Walls of the body being provided with a part thereof V-shaped sloping inwardly and outwardly from its blunt longitudinal end edge, air suction openings being provided through each V-shape side and communicating with said source of vacuum, whereby the lips of the container to be air evacuated are adapted to be closed inwardly and temporarily sealed upon the exterior surface -sides of the V-shaped walls by closing its air suction openings by the effects of the resulting atmospheric pressure pushing upon the exterior surfaces of the lips in order for the air suction through said slot in the blunt end edge that mechanically spreads an opening in the mouth of the container can extract substantially its air contents, and while the container is still temporarily sealed upon the air extractor body member, said sealing irons may be actuated to close together and heat-seal a permanent seam upon the air evacuated container and disposed substantially parallel with the adjacent blunt end edge portion of said body member.

13. The method of extracting air from commodity packed heat-scalable containers characterized as being provided with marginally opposed Wall portions defining flaring lips with open opposite ends at the mouth thereof adapted to fit over and be temporarily sealed upon an air evacuating body member of apparatus parts, the method comprising bringing the flared lips of the container into registry position upon said body member, the member being provided with air suction means adapted to co-act in two stages, whereby said registered lips are first brought into sealing relation upon the exterior surface portions of said member to exclude atmospheric air from entering into the container while effecting the second stage of air suction to extract air from the interior thereof, and dwelling the container upon the exterior surface portions of the air evacuating member While bringing a pair of jaw-type heat-sealing irons into clamping engagement upon a marginal portion of the contained adjacent a longitudinal end edge of said member through which the second stage of air suction takes place, thereby sealing the air evacuated container per- 14 manently prior to its withdrawal from its temporarily sealed relationship upon said member.

14. In a jaw-type heat-sealing machine for sealing the open mouth of containers, an air extracting body part being embodied into said machine by being mounted substantially central between the heat-sealing actuating jaws of the machine and spaced inwardly of the bit iron portions thereof, the inner transverse longitudinal face of said iron portions when closed together being disposed substantially parallel With and adjacent the longitudinal end edge of said mounted part, air suction means being provided in the part adapted to co-act in two stages, and first temporarily seal said open mouth of the engaging container from the atmosphere upon a portion of said part adjacent said end edge, and secondly while so sealed extract air from the interior thereof, and while still engaged upon the part in sealed relationship said bit iron portions being closed to heat-seal and effect a permanent seal of the air evacuated container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,265,381 Malloy Dec. 9, 1941 2,281,187 Waters Apr. 20, 1942 2,410,834 Messmer Nov. 12, 1946 2,634,562 Mueller Apr. 14, 1953 

